In the interest of full disclosure, let me first say that Women's self-titled debut was my favorite album of 2008. In fact, I listened to it so much, I had to wean myself in that oh-so-painful way of any true fan that fears both getting sick of an absolutely favorite album, and who also feels a little guilty for lack of attention to other undeniably great, but slightly less favorite albums (this means you, Abe Vigoda's Skeleton, and I'm sorry). Okay: full-full disclosure-- I loved Women's debut so much, friends took me to their show for my bachelor party. I was able to hang out for a while and talk music with them, and they really are the nicest guys you'd ever care to meet. Christ: full-full-full disclosure-- "Sag Harbor Bridge" is my ringtone. So, yeah, suffice it to say, I was excited about the follow-up, and rooting for them in an undeniably large way. I'm not sure if this uniquely qualifies or disqualifies me from commenting further, honestly.
So I'm very happy to report that Public Strain is a worthy successor, and in some ways may even surpass their debut in ambition and scope. Initially I was disappointed: Women had a wonderfully schizophrenic/kitchen sink quality that I find irresistible in an album. These guys could do it all, from gorgeous pop gems ("Black Rice"), to amorphous drone ("Woodbine"), to ping-ponging freakish noise ("January 8th"); it was like they were emptying their record collections into one turbid 30-minute cocktail.
Public Strain is... god, dare I say it? More "mature." Ack, the dreaded m-word, usually bestowed upon albums that eschew thrills and risk for "stronger songwriting" and "attention to craft." Ah, jeez, there's that too, but this second album of theirs is knottier, and yes, has more "attention to craft," but more in the sense of "craftier," i.e. "sly". Where their debut gleefully hopped from genre to genre, this album's best moments are almost buried, and unfold over time.
Chad VanGaalen is back behind the board, so the musty, cavernous feel of their first album has been preserved, perhaps even amplified. The opening track "Can't You See" is a great visual analog to the album cover, with a pleading, almost liturgical melody buried amidst an aural snowstorm of droning cello and squalling feedback. This is a claustrophobic listen-- lead singer and guitarist Pat Flegel said it was written while working the graveyard shift at a local youth home, and that strung-out, jittery-yet-exhausted feeling pervades the entire album.
What's really exciting to hear, though, is how cohesively they address their multifarious influences, sometimes within the context of a single song. "China Steps", on first listen, isn't as dramatic or instantly memorable as some of their earlier songs, but what a transformation it goes through, from metronomic krautrock to keening dissonance to bare drum kit to tentative synth-noodlings to... well, then it's just over. It's a real pleasure to hear a band this adventurous-- and confident enough-- take you on a real adventure.
And then there's the over six-minute closer (!-- an over six-minute Women song?!) and first single (!!!-- an over six-minute single?!) "Eyesore", which seems to relive the entire album in microcosmic form, offering up deliciously jangly guitar intertwinings, left-turn chord changes, and melody after melody without any real chorus to speak of-- appropriately enough, the last minute and a half of the album is all victory lap. A well-deserved one at that; despite the title, Public Strain shows a band that gracefully avoids their sophomore slump with an album that builds on the successes of their debut in the most-- yes, dammit-- "mature" way.
[Women Myspace]
[Buy Public Strain from Jagjaguwar]
No comments:
Post a Comment